A typical automotive vehicle with an automatic climate control system includes an in-car temperature sensor. Measurements from the sensor are used by the automatic climate control system as an input to control the temperature within the vehicle cabin. The climate control system determines at least the appropriate discharge air temperature for achieving a desired cabin temperature. However, due to factors such as air stratification, heat storage in the instrument panel, and discharge from nearby HVAC vents, the temperature measurement from the in-car temperature sensor can vary significantly from the true cabin temperature. The temperature measured by the in-car temperature sensor may be as much as ten degrees Celsius different from the air temperature at a breath level (i.e., air temperature adjacent to the driver's face). An automatic climate control system which is responsive to the temperature sensor may therefore overheat or overcool the cabin. Also, this overheating or overcooling can be exacerbated over time as the control algorithm being used fails to track the true cabin temperature.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an accurate method or apparatus for estimating the cabin temperature. In addition, it is desirable to provide a method or apparatus which provides real-time corrections to the estimation of the cabin temperature. In addition, it is desirable to provide a method or apparatus for estimating the cabin temperature which eliminates the requirement for a cabin air temperature sensor. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.